Ana Ivanovic will face Lucie Safarova in the opening rubber of the 2012 Fed Cup. The Czech holds a 3-2 lead over Ivanovic and recently defeated her in Sydney. Ivanovic said: "It's going to be a tough match -- I had a tough loss against her in Sydney so hopefully I can play better and get revenge."
(CNN) -- Two years might have passed since Serbia's men triumphed in the Davis Cup -- but the nation's women are now ready to etch their name into tennis folklore.
When Ana Ivanovic begins her match against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in Prague on Saturday, she will begin her country's challenge against the reigning champion.
The team of Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Bojana Jovanovski and Aleksandra Krunic are desperate to pull off a repeat performance of the men's victory over France in 2010.
In their way stand a Czech team hoping to secure its second consecutive title following a 3-2 win over Russia last year.
But Ivanovic, ranked 12th in the world, says the inspiration of events in Belgrade on that fateful night will act as a motivating factor.
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"I remember a couple of years ago," Ivanovic told reporters.
"I was there when they [the Serbian Davis Cup team] were winning and it was epic. We will try our best and to match what the guys did would be amazing."
Serbia has never won the Fed Cup and so the opportunity of being the first women from the country to land the honour is a huge lure for the team.
"It's an historical moment for Serbian women's tennis," Jankovic told the tournament's official website.
"We are all excited to be here in Prague and to have this opportunity to win the title, which is our ultimate goal and we very much look forward to the competition.
"Winning Fed Cup would be a very special feeling. It's difficult to compare it to your individual tournaments when you are lifting trophies because you are basically there on your own and here you can celebrate with your team.
"For me, personally, the inspiration is the Serbian people and I always feel an obligation to give more than 100 per cent. Winning the title would be an amazing achievement."
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A sell-out crowd of 13,800 is expected after tickets for the final sold out in less than six hours with Petra Kvitova's father, Jiri, buying 100 for his friends and family.
Kvitova is set to overcome the bout of bronchitis which forced her to withdraw from last week's WTA Championships.
The 22-year-old, who is ranked eighth in the world, will lead the Czech charge and insists the pressure of playing in front of an expectant home crowd won't affect the players.
"I don't think that we have a pressure because we are the defending champions," she told the competition's official website.
"I think it's because we are playing at home, it's a full stadium and 14,000 people will come to support us. I'm looking forward to the tie for every minute."
Meanwhile in France, home favorite Gilles Simon booked his place in the semifinals of the Paris Masters.
Simon defeated fifth seed 6-4 6-4, who is aiming to reach is second Masters 1000 final, will now face Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz.
Janowicz, who defeated Andy Murray on Thursday, saw off Janko Tipsarevic, who was forced to retire through illness with the Pole leading 3-6, 6-1, 4-.1
"In the second and third set I just played the best tennis of my life," Janowicz told the ATP website.
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"I didn't know actually I can play that good. It's really not easy for me to realise what is going on in my life right now.
"Right now I'm playing the best tennis of my life, and I hope tomorrow I can play even better.
"I don't know what I should expect from myself, but I hope I will not finish tomorrow this tournament yet."
David Ferrer is the highest surviving seed remaining in the competition after he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 7-5.
The Spaniard, seeded fourth, will now play home favourite Michael Llodra for a place in the final.
Llodra saw off America's Sam Querrey 7-6 6-3 and will now hope to beat Ferrer for the first time having lost his previous two contests against the World No. 5.
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Jankovic, ranked 22 in the world, will take on Petra Kvitova in her first match but is confident Serbia can overcome the current Fed Cup champions. She said: "It's an historical moment for Serbian women's tennis. We are all excited to be here in Prague and to have this opportunity to win the title, which is our ultimate goal and we very much look forward to the competition."
Bojana Jovanovski is set to play alongside Aleksandra Krunic in the doubles on Saturday. Jovanovski, who will turn 21 on December 31, is currently ranked 56 in the world and reached the second round at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She is the third-highest ranked Serbian female after Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.
At just 19 and ranked 167, this is the biggest weekend of Aleksandra Krunic's young career. But while she might be young, she's also fearless and has won three of the four doubles matches during her time on the Serbia team. In this year's first round tie against Belgium she stepped in to play the third singles rubber, losing to Yanina Wickmayer, before bouncing back to win the doubles contest alongside Bojana Jovanovski.
Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski, Jelena Jankovic, captain Dejan Vranes, Ana Ivanovic and Aleksandra Krunic pose for a photo with the trophy ahead of the weekend's battle with the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic's Andrea Hlavackova, Lucie Hradecka, Petra Kvitova, captain Petr Pala, Lucie Safarova and Klara Zakopalova are bidding to win the country's second consecutive title following last year's 3-2 win over Russia.
Petra Kvitova enjoyed a stunning 2011, winning six of her nine career titles including her Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon. But having reached a career high of No.2 just 12 months ago, she has endured a less successful time in recent months and has slipped to No. 8. But in the Fed Cup, Kvitova has been on a hot-streak, winning ten consecutive matches to take her overall record to 15-4. She said: "I'm leading Czech Republic and I know I have big pressure on my back."
Left-hander Lucie Safarova will open the Czech's defence of the title against Ana Ivanovic and the 25-year-old is expecting a tough challenge. The World No. 17 said: "Ana is a great player, and Jelena as well, so both of the matches will be really tough, but that's how it should be as this is the finals so I will try my best and try to get the two points." Safarova will be hoping to perform better than she did in last year's final where she lost both singles rubbers to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are the second ranked doubles team in women's tennis and will prove a huge threat in Prague. Together they have won nine titles including their 2011 triumph at the French Open. Despite losing in the finals at both Wimbledon and the Olympics, they have secured four hard court titles this year which came at Auckland, Memphis, Cincinnati and Luxembourg.
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